The Princess And The Dragon
by Gravity-Chan
Summary: It's been eleven years since the King locked all the dragons up, and now they're ready for freedom. During his escape, however, Natsu Dragneel is captured and sentenced to death. There he meets Princess Lucy, a sympathizer of the dragons. She is determined to save Natsu, but with what little power she has, will she be able to? Sequel to "On The Inside". Three-shot Nalu.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Welcome to my newest short project, "The Princess And The Dragon". You can probably guess what it's about. This is a sequel to my story "On The Inside" which I highly suggest you read before you read this, as I'm not going to explain everything in this short story. In three semi-long chapters I'm going to cover the entire sixteen chapters of On The Inside from Natsu and Lucy's perspective. I hope you enjoy it! Please drop a review and tell me what you think!**

**Summary: It's been eleven years since the King locked all the dragons up, and now they're ready for freedom. During his escape, however, Natsu Dragneel is captured and sentenced to death. There he meets Princess Lucy, a sympathizer of the dragons. She is determined to save Natsu, but with what little power she has, will she be able to?**

* * *

><p>Natsu sat on the floor of his dark prison cell, his legs folded in front of him. He frowned at his hands, clasped in his lap, and at the metal cuffs that bound them. His salmon-colored hair fell into his eyes, and he blew on his bangs half-heartedly, only for the pink tresses to fall back into place a few seconds after.<p>

Beside him sat a dark-haired man. He wore cuffs of a similar fashion to Natsu, and was currently making a lot of noise shaking the chain around. The noise sounded like gunshots to Natsu's sensitive dragon ears, and he winced at the noise. "Gajeel, will you stop making that goddamn noise?" he growled, glaring at the man beside him.

"Shut up, Natsu." The pinkette's attention was diverted to a second pair of men in the cell. One of them, a blonde with blue eyes, scowled at him, while the other, a black-haired man with red eyes, narrowed said eyes disapprovingly at him. "Roge and I are trying to plan."

Gajeel scowled. "Would you all just shut it?" he growled moodily. "Sting, we've been here for eleven years. There is no escape. Maybe if we could use our magic, but these stupid cuffs block it off. He shifted in the cramped cell. Not one of them was apparently special enough to have his own cell, not even poor Wendy, the only girl of the group. "Besides, they'll kill us if we get caught. We're only here to be test subjects."

Sting smirked at this. "That's where you're wrong," he said. "Wendy, your hands are small. See if you can get your hands out."

Gajeel sighed, smacking his forehead with one hand. "There's no way the guards would be stupid enough to give Wendy cuffs she could get out of," he snapped.

Sting just grinned. He reached out towards the back wall of the prison and scraped his fingers along it before holding his hand out to the light. Green ooze dripped off his skin and onto the floor. "This slimy stuff is really slippery. If we smear some of it on Wendy's wrists-"

"She might be able to pull them out," Natsu finished for him, a grin breaking his solemn expression. "That might actually work! Do it, right now!"

Wendy wrinkled her nose in disgust as Sting and Rogue scraped copious amounts of the slime from the walls and smoothed it over her skin. She swallowed, working her hands around a bit before lowering them down. She placed her foot down on the chain connecting the cuffs and pulled, hard.

She let out a whimper as the rough edges of the cuffs tore at her skin and made her bleed, but she refused to back down. She clenched her teeth and pulled again, harder, and let out a pained cry as her hands came loose. She bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes from the pain, but after a moment, a faint blue light enveloped her hands, and the wounds began to stitch themselves up again. She rubbed the tender skin softly, sighing out in relief.

"It worked! It worked!" Sting exclaimed in delight, jumping up and down a little. "Quick, Wendy, get us out!"

Wendy nodded and summoned up her magic, slicing through the metal cuffs with a blade of wind. As soon as Sting was free she moved onto Rogue, and Sting moved to Natsu, until all five of the teenagers were free of the magic cuffs.

Natsu grinned broadly, small trickles of flames dancing on his fingertips. "Aw, man, it's been too long since I've been able to use magic!" he sighed.

Gajeel gripped the iron bars of the cell with both hands, taking a deep breath before ripping them from where they stood. "That ought to do it," he said, shoving one of the bars into his mouth, deciding he might need the extra energy, just in case.

"I forgot you could eat iron," Sting commented with an approving smile. "That makes it a lot easier."

"How do we get out?" Natsu asked. "Obviously we can't just walk out the front doors. They'd shoot us before we even saw the doors."

Sting grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously, and raised a hand to point at the ceiling. "See those cracks? They have those there to let the light and fresh air in. If we can muster up enough magic to transform, we should be able to break through those cracks pretty easily."

Natsu laughed, flashing Sting a fanged smirk. "Aw, yeah! It's been too long since I've been able to talke my dragon form!" he exclaimed.

Sting was the first to begin his transformation, crouching down and curling his hands into fists. He willed his magic power to rise to the surface, and eventually he began to change. Scales sprouted from his skin to cover the leathery epidermis, and his legs lengthened and changed shape, as did the rest of his body. Wings grew from between his shoulderblades, and he flapped them eagerly as he completed his transformation. He was now a thirty-five foot pure white dragon, his long tail flicking back and forth restlessly.

Natsu let out a pained grunt as he began his own transformation. It had been too long since he had last done this; he was out of practice. He let out a low roar as he began to grow, claws and talons replacing his hands and a long snout emerging from his face. When he had finished, he was a massive, powerful red dragon, the color of fire.

Sting exchanged a glance with Natsu, and the pinkette-turned-dragon nodded to his friend. Sting crouched down, beating his powerful wings and leaping into the air. He shoved his shoulders into the ceiling, letting out a mighty roar as the ceiling cracked and collapsed, rubble crashing to the ground and shattering into shards of sharp rock. Rogue took off after him followed quickly by Wendy. As Gajeel left the ground, however, an object with a sharp point embedded itself in his wing.. He let out a roar of pain, his wings failing him, and he crashed to the ground, already returning back to his human form.

"Gajeel!" Natsu exclaimed, but before he could make a move, a second arrow struck him in the arm and pain shot through his body, lighting his nerves on fire. The effect was immediate; Natsu's magic drained from his body and he shrunk back down to the size of a human. Cursing, he pulled the dark from his arm and smashed it onto the ground. Poison," he muttered. "It's a poison to nullify magic." he glanced towards the doors, where guards were flooding in, yelling and brandishing their weapons.

"Damn," Natsu cursed. "We have no choice! We gotta fight 'em!" he called, rushing forward. With what little magic he had left, he lit his fist on fire. "Out of my way! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he bellowed, punching one of the guards hard in the face and basically creating a domino effect. He fought his way towards the door and up the stairs, heading down the nearest hallway in hopes of finding an exit.

He had made it about halfway down the hall when he realized that he had become separated from Gajeel. "Crap! Did I take a wrong turn?" He cried, beginning to panic slightly. This was definitely _not_ turning out the way he had hoped. Gritting his teeth, he fought on anyway. "There has to be an exit in this direction too, right?"

Natsu managed to make it to the end of the hall before he had to face any really big challenges. As he rounded a corner at the edge of the hall, he hesitated when he spotted the opponent in front of him.

The man was long-legged and willowy, with somewhat broad shoulders and orange hair pulled into a ponytail at the back of his head. His eyes were narrowed and he had a frown on his face as Natsu appeared. "Natsu Dragneel. I thought I might find you here," he said.

"And who might you be?" Natsu questioned warily, dropping into a battle stance just in case he had to fight his way out.

The man grinned, copying his opponent. "My name is Jet Longstride, second in command to the King's Army," he replied. "You should never have tried to escape. It's pointless. Erza Scarlet is already in pursuit of Gajeel Redfox. He'll never make it out of the castle on his own. And neither will you." He crouched down, holding up his hands. "Now then, shall we begin?"

For a moment, Natsu froze. Erza Scarlet, Chief Commander of the King's Army and the most important woman in the country, surpassing even the heiress, Lucy Heartfilia. She was widely known for her immense skill in swordplay and her natural affinity towards Requip magic. Natsu shook his head. Gajeel was no idiot. He could take care of himself just fine. With a yell, he lunged forward, pulling a fist back to punch.

Jet dodged the punch nimbly, grabbing Natsu's wrist and spinning him around, bringing his knee up and driving it into the small of his back. Natsu yelped at the surprise attack, feeling his spine pop from the force of the attack. Jet was no pushover, that was for sure.

Natsu gritted his teeth, spinning around on one foot and lighting his other on fire. "Fire Dragon's Talon!" he yelled, grinning victoriously when his heel connected with Jet's chin sending the other man sprawling.

Jet regained his balance quickly, wiping a trail of blood from his lips. "You're more powerful than you look, Natsu Dragneel," he commented. He stood still for a moment, and for that moment Natsu was fairly confused. Why wasn't he attacking? Then he senses the magic. He took a step back, holding his hands up defensively.

"High Speed!" Jet called, and he took off like a bullet. Natsu's eyes widened as he vanished, moving so quickly that he couldn't be seen by the human eye. A second later, Jet's foot connected with his shoulders, and he found himself on the floor, Jet's foot planted firmly on his back. "How do you like my High Speed, half-breed?" he sneered. "No one can catch me when I can run faster than anyone can watch."

Natsu scowled, bracing his hands on the floor. "You may be fast, but what will you do if you can't touch me?" he taunted, and promptly set his entire body on fire.

Jet yelled and jumped back, out of range of Natsu's intense flames. His shoe was already blackened and scorched, and smoke curled off it and floated upwards to the ceiling. "Clever, aren't you?" he said blandly. He disappeared one more, reappearing beside Natsu, and kicked him hard, right in the chest. "Your flames don't work on me! I move so fast that your flames don't have time to burn me!"

Natsu landed hard on his back, his flames going out, and let out a gasp as the breath was knocked right out of his lungs leaving him feeling dizzy and short of breath. Jet took his arm and flipped him onto his back, securing his wrists with the same kind of magic-sealing handcuffs he had worn for the last eleven years of his life. "Damn it!" he yelled, struggling against the restraints. "Let me out, you bastard! What did I ever do to you!?"

"I am loyal to my country! If the King wants someone arrested, I do what he says, no matter who the person is," Jet snapped in reply, hauling Natsu up by the chain that now connected his wrists. "That was a dirty trick, trying to use your magic to escape, but I assure you, nothing like this will ever happen again." He shoved Natsu forward, keeping a firm hold on the boy's hands. "Now walk, delinquent. After I have you back in your cell, I'll be making my report to the King. He will be the one to decide your fate. You'd better pray to God for mercy."

"I don't need God," Natsu growled, glaring backwards at Jet. "And I don't need your stupid King either. I'd rather die than follows the rules he's set up."

Jet frowned and kicked Natsu in the back of the legs. "The King is a lawful and a good man."

"The King killed my father!" The pinkette turned on Jet with a ferocious look in his eyes, his expression one of pure rage. "He killed Igneel and all the other dragons and locked me and my friends in a dirty jail cell for _eleven years_! Why, because he thought we were dangerous?! I was _six years old_, damn it! What could a six year old boy, who had just barely mastered his magic, do in that kind of situation!? I wasn't even the worst off. Wendy was barely two! Until today, she didn't even know what color the sky was. She'd never seen the sun before. That smelly, dank, slimy jail cell was everything she ever had! _How could you do something so horrible and not feel horrible about it?!_"

Jet took hold of Natsu's collar, yanking him forward so that were face-to-face. "If you want to live, you'll learn to keep your mouth shut," he hissed in a dangerous whisper. For a moment, the two of them stared each other down and then Jet shoved Natsu forward once more, towards the stairs that led down to the jail cells.

After that, Natsu was entirely silent. He didn't say another word, just let himself be shoved down the stairs and back into the same dank, dirty, slimy old jail cell. He sat down on one of the five cots still set up inside, keeping his back turned to Jet while the orange-haired man locked the doors and left.

Natsu sighed, slumping down in defeat. "I hope the others are all right," he murmured.

* * *

><p>It had been two days since Natsu had been locked in the stupid jail cell, and he was starting to lose it a little. The stupid handcuffs chafed his skin, his stupid magic wouldn't work… everything was stupid!<p>

Natsu sighed out in frustration, laying down on the less than comfortable cot that sat at the back of his dark jail cell. He really wished he could find that Jet guy and punch him right in the face, make him pay for what he did.

Natsu had often had such rants in his head before, and it was during one such rant that she showed up. The moment he saw her he thought she had to be an angel.

Then again, it might have been the isolation talking.

"Hello?" Came the voice. Natsu perked up at the sound; it was a girl, a young woman, perhaps. "Is anyone down here?"

Natsu kept silent. He knew better than to talk to strangers. Looks can be deceiving. Er… sounds. But the girl was persistent. "I'm looking for Natsu Dragneel. One of his friends is here."

"Natsu!" Now that was a voice he recognized. _Happy?_ he realized, shocked. How had the exceed found him?

"Happy!" he yelled, running to the cage's door and wrapping his hands around the bars. "Happy, I'm over here, buddy!"

Seconds later, Natsu was assaulted by a flying ball of blue fur, which buried itself into his chest and began to cry hysterically. "Natsu! I was so worried about you!" he blubbered, clinging to the fabric of Natsu's shirt.

Natsu petted the cat's head consolingly. "Don't worry, Happy, I'm fine," he assured. He glanced up, and that's when he saw her.

She was pretty, no doubt, with blond hair that fell past her shoulders, part of it tied up in a side ponytail. Her eyes were the color of chocolate, a deep, rich brown, and she seemed fidgety, her hands clasped behind her back as she shifted back and forth on her feet, avoiding eye contact with him. He grinned at her. "You brought Happy to me, right? Thanks," he said.

"You're Natsu, right?" The girl blurted out, looking nervous. "I, uh, met some friends of yours. Well, kind of. One of your friends kidnapped my cousin." She was rambling now, and blushed in embarrassment.

Natsu blanched, his face turning completely white. "Which friend would this be, exactly?" he asked, his voice failing him a bit.

The girl looked up at him through her eyelashes. "The scary-looking one. He had really long black hair."

"Shit," Natsu mumbled under his breath. "That was Gajeel. Don't worry. He may look rough, but I promise he won't hurt your cousin." He paused swallowing. This was not the kind of first impression he had been expecting. "Well, if you were looking for Natsu, you found him. What's your name?"

The girl smiled at him, the first smile he had seen on her. She was… really pretty. "Lucy," she replied. "Lucy… Heartfilia." She seemed reluctant to give out her last name.

Natsu's eyes widened to the point where he was pretty sure if they widened any more they would explode. "You're the heiress?!" he yelled, quite loudly.

"Sssshh!" Lucy shushed him urgently, reaching through the bars to cover Natsu's mouth. She glanced at the doors to the dungeon fretfully. "No one knows I'm down here. If my father found out I was talking to a convicted criminal, I don't know what he would do."

Natsu took a step back, pushing Lucy's hand away with a suspicious look. "What does the heiress want with me?" he asked. "I'm not exactly popular amongst the higher-ups."

Lucy glared, folding her arms under her chest. "Look, I'm the person who's going to get you out of here, so you'd better treat me nice!" she hissed, before softening with a tired sigh. "Your friends sent their flying cats to tell me about their situation and commission my help to break you out of here. So do you want my help or not?"

"You're going to break me out?" Natsu repeated incredulously. "How are you going to do that?"

Lucy felt her annoyance grow with ever word the half-breed spoke, but she forced herself to stay calm. "Yes, I'm going to break you out. I don't know how, but I'm going to do it." She started to say something more, but was interrupted by footsteps down the hall. "I have to go," she whispered urgently. "Come on, Happy!"

The winged cat reluctantly left his best friend's arm to return to Lucy, perching on her shoulder. As Lucy turned to leave, though, Natsu reached through the bars and grasped her wrist. "Wait!" he insisted. "When will you come back?"

Lucy cast Natsu a quick glance. "tomorrow night," she replied in a low whisper. "After the sun sets. I'll meet you down here after my father goes to sleep." Her gaze flicked to the door once more. "I have to go now, but I'll come back, I promise."

With that, Lucy pulled her arm from Natsu's grasp and fled the room, disappearing through the door at the top of the steps. Natsu smirked and clasped his hands behind his head. "I'll hold you to that, Luce."


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter two! Sorry if the story seems rushed, but to fit everything into three chapters, I had to shorten it. I hope you all like it!**

**Sakura-Fiction: That was very dramatic xD Well, I hope you enjoy this short sequel then! Have fun xD**

**CuteFoxSage-NightShadeOwl: Yes, very interesting... /eyebrow wiggle/ lawl, just kidding xP**

**NaluAllTheWay: I'll be updating teh last chapter next Saturday, so be watching for it!**

* * *

><p>As she promised, Lucy returned the following night, and every night after that, for three days. Lucy had been working hard to come up with an escape plan, but security had been increased a lot by the recent prison break. Not that Natsu really blamed them, seeing as they destroyed the ceiling of the prison. To his disappointment, Lucy didn't bring Happy with her anymore, saying that he was easier to keep track of there. "You came back," he said when she appeared in front of his door. He still found it hard to believe that she came back every night just to help him.<p>

"Of course," Lucy replied. "I made you a promise, and as a Celestial Spirit mage in training I have an obligation to keep that promise." She paused, glancing around. Rubble was still scattered across the ground, a constant reminder of Natsu's failed escape attempt, but no one seemed to be lurking around. "I think I've devised a plan, but it will take a while," she said. "If I can get you out of those cuffs, can you transform like your friends did?"

Natsu frowned. "I don't know," he admitted. "They shot me with some kind of poisoned arrow. It's been a few days, but…" he trailed off helplessly.

"I see," Lucy murmured. "I didn't think it would be so easily. This is going to be harder than I thought." She sighed remorsefully.

"But you're going to get me out, right?" Natsu insisted.

Lucy glanced up from the floor, and smiled. It was a pretty smile, one that made Natsu's troubles fade into the background, just a little. "I made a promise and I intend to keep it," she said. "I just need a little more time." She reached out and took Natsu's hand between her own, rubbing her thumb over the tough skin that covered it. Her fingers were soft, and the gesture was comforting. "So just hold on a little longer, okay?"

Natsu's heart gave a little jump at her kind words and at the feeling of her hands on his. It was a simple, even casual gesture, but he couldn't help the fact that it made him a little nervous. Being locked up for eleven years, and before that living with Igneel; he didn't have a lot of actual human interaction outside of the other half-breeds, and none of them had held his hand before. He might have held Wendy's hands when she was learning to walk, but that was different than this. This was affection, not necessity, and Lucy's affection was different than other people he knew. He swallowed and gave a dumb nod.

Lucy smiled at him, taking one of her hands away from his. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

Natsu didn't hesitate. "Of course I trust you," he replied softly.

The pretty blonde reached beneath her skirt, into a pocket he remembered her telling him about, and pulled out an object, pressing it into his palm. "I have to go, but I'll come back tomorrow. Use this to contact your friends, but don't let the guard see it," she advised, pushing herself up from her spot on the floor. And just like every other day, she left quickly, without a backward glance.

Natsu glanced down at the stone in his hand. It was a communication lacrima, a small one, but it looked functional. he sucked in a breath. Maybe now he would finally be able to contact his friends directly. He had heard from Lucy that they were fine, that they were finding a safe place to go, but he wanted to see it in person. Glancing around to make sure there were no guards present, he tapped on the lacrima to activate it. "Connect me to Gajeel," he murmured. For a moment, he surface of the crystal went milk-white, then it cleared, and where he should have seen Gajeel's face, he only saw his reflection in the shiny surface. He cursed and stowed the shiny object under his cot, in a dark corner where the shadows would conceal it. Of course. he couldn't connect to Gajeel unless he had a lacrima like Lucy's. So far it had been the exceeds communicating between Gajeel and Lucy, so for now that was the only connection they had.

Sighing, Natsu kicked back onto his cot, using his hands as cushions for his head. He closed his eyes, imagining he was somewhere far away from the castle. It was something he did in moments like this, when he wished he could just get up and leave. The chains connecting his wrists clacked against each other noisily as they settled behind his head, and he winced at the noise. Reaching out, he imagined he had never been caught. He was back in his forest home with Igneel and Grandine and Metalicana, with Gajeel and Wendy and the other half-breeds and their dragons, imagining that he was still living with him. Not surprisingly, it was hard to imagine something like that. It had been eleven years since Igneel had died. Sighing, Natsu rolled over, onto his side, his back facing the front of his prison, and eventually, fitfully, he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Lucy was starting to get nervous. It had been two nights since she had been able to visit Natsu. The last few days, her father had been especially adamant about her duties as a princess, and had taken to bringing her to his nightly meetings with him. She had been unable to spare even a moment to go down and talk with Natsu, and she was worried that her father may have begun to be suspicious of her.<p>

Levy had returned last night. The petite girl had refused to speak to anyone, her head down, and had gone straight to bed, not even pausing to visit her cousin on the way. Lucy had let her go, deciding the poor girl needed a chance to rest up and get her bearings before she spoke to her. She was still worried, though; Levy had looked like a miserable wreck, and her face was red, like she had been crying. She hated not knowing what was going on.

Lucy knocked on Levy's door. It was early in the morning, but Lucy was sick of waiting, and wanted answers. After a moment of silence, she knocked again, louder this time.

Levy answered the door after a few seconds, looking less than presentable, a scowl on her face. When she saw who was at her door, though, her eyes widened and she let out a little gasp. "Lucy!" she exclaimed.

Lucy broke into a wide smile, enveloping her cousin in a tight hug. "Levy! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! You're okay, thank God." She pulled back for a moment, looking her up and down. "Are you hurt? As soon as Father heard you had been kidnapped, he sent out the army to find you, but I was so worried!"

Levy forced a smile for her cousin; she had missed Lucy's presence, but she didn't really felt like smiling. "I'm fine. Just a little sore from walking," she replied.

"Levy? What's wrong?" Lucy asked. She had known Levy long enough to know when she was faking a smile.

Levy's false smile faltered, and she let out a long sigh. "I know that I was technically kidnapped and that I should be happy to be home, but…" she trailed off, sitting down on her bed. "I met dragons, Lucy. Five of them. They were just like humans. Definitely not monsters like Uncle Jude said. They were more like the dragons from Auntie Layla's stories. They were…"

"Protectors," Lucy finished for her, and the two of them broke into a round of giggles. "I know what you mean. I've been talking with Natsu, the one who never escaped. He's different than I imagined."

"Oh! How is he?" Levy asked.

Lucy thought for a moment. "He's… lively, definitely. Surprisingly well for being in prison, you know? I've been trying to come up with a plan to get him out, but it's slow going."

Levy seemed visibly relieved to hear that Natsu was doing well. "That's great! I bet Gajeel will-" Levy cut herself up abruptly, confusing her blond cousin, and her face went pale.

"Gajeel is Pantherlily's partner, right?" Lucy murmured, urging Levy on. "How… How is he?"

Levy turned away from Lucy so that the blonde couldn't see her expression. "He's dead," she replied, in a soft voice barely above a whisper.

Lucy stifled a gasp with her hand, her throat tightening in sorrow. "Dead?" she echoed. "Oh, Levy, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay," Levy interrupted, giving Lucy her best smile. "I… I'll be alright."

Lucy frowned; judging by how Levy had been acting, she would certainly not be fine. "Well, if you say so," she relented, standing up. "I was going to go try to visit Natsu. Would you like to come with me?"

Levy stood up as well, nodding. "Yeah, that would be great."

* * *

><p>Natsu whistled a random tune as he lay on his back in the dark prison cell, staring at the ceiling. How long had it been since he had been put in here? Ten days? Fifteen? He glanced out through the gaps in the bars of his cage's door, where he could see patches of the sky through the hole in ceiling. The sun had long since gone down, and the purple sky told him it was probably close to dawn. He sighed; he had been pretty sleepless all day He just wasn't tired. It felt as though something exciting was about to happen to him. All his senses were on high alert, his eyes wide open, and his skin tingled in anticipation, for what, he didn't know.<p>

Lucy would be here soon, he realized, and smiled at the thought. Lately, especially in the last few days, he had begun to feel strange around the Celestial mage. She was his friend, definitely, but lately "friend" had started to sound like too generic of a word to describe her. Even "best friend" wasn't a strong enough phrase to convey what he was feeling. He sighed, sitting up and shaking his head. It wasn't like him to think so deeply about things.

Natsu's ears twitched, and he glanced up at the sound of footsteps approaching his door. At first, his hopes rose; it must be Lucy. But then he noticed the subtle sounds of the steps, like how they were heavier and less dainty than Lucy's, and that they were coming from the wrong direction. He sat up straight, focusing on the sound. He knew this footsteps.

"Salamander." It was hard to see the form of the dark-haired dragon, but Gajeels voice was unmistakable.

Natsu sprung up from his seat and grabbed the bars of his prison with both hands. "Gajeel! Holy crap, what took you so long?" he exclaimed.

"For God's sake, be quiet!" Gajeel hissed, glaring icily at his long-time comrade. He gestured for Natsu to back away from the bars, which he did, and stepped forward, grasping the bars and pulling them apart in a way only Gajeel could do. "The others are waiting for us outside. Let's hurry before someone realizes what's happening-"

He was interrupted by the loud sound of a siren blaring. Natsu heard Gajeel curse and he pulled Natsu from his cell. Natsu let out a little yelp at being mobilized against his will, casting a glance towards the door to the prison. He stopped dead when he saw who had opened the door.

Lucy. Lucy and her cousin, Levy. The one that Gajeel had kidnapped. What was she doing back at the castle? Gajeel seemed just as stricken, staring wide-eyed at the two princesses.

Lucy's eyes widened at what she saw. "Natsu?!" she exclaimed. "What the-"

The rest of Lucy's sentence was drowned out by the sounds of yelling as soldiers streamed into the dungeon, pushing their way past the princesses as they went. Natsu was still frozen, his eyes glued to Lucy, but Gajeel snapped him back into his sentences by grabbing his arm and yanking him towards the back of the room, where the hole in the ceiling gaped. He hoisted Natsu up and out of the hole, and in turn Natsu pulled Gajeel up, trying to push thoughts of Lucy out of his head.

"What now?" he asked, chasing after Gajeel, who had immediately made a beeline for a tree beside the wall. Gajeel didn't reply, just began to scale the tree, so Natsu followed in his footsteps until they had landed on top of the wall. "Oh, I see!" Natsu realized with a grin, jumping down the other side.

Gajeel landed beside him a moment later and rolled his eyes. "What did you think?" he grumbled. "Anyway, forget about that. We have to get away from here. Sting, Rogue and the others are already waiting at Laxus's house."

Natsu blinked in surprise. "You found Laxus?" he said in disbelief.

Gajeel rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. "Well, more like Laxus found us. Let's just say he saved all of our asses," he replied, stuffing both hands in his pockets and heading into the trees. "Don't dawdle. We need to find the others and get the hell out of here."

Natsu snickered. "Couldn't protect yourselves?" he teased.

Gajeel shot Natsu a glare over his shoulder, pushing through the dense shrubbery of the forest trees. "Shut up. You're the one who got caught," he growled. "You should be thanking me. I just saved your ass from being beheaded or something."

Natu scowled at the comment, but wisely didn't answer, folding his arms and stalking after Gajeel. Before long, they met up with the group, who had been waiting in anticipation for Gajeel's return. "Yo!" he greeted, raising a hand in hello. He wasn't surprised at the stares he received. He probably looked like a wreck.

"Natsu!" Wendy was the first to speak up, running forward and throwing her arms around the older boy's waist. "We were so worried about you! Thank goodness you're alright!"

Natsu chuckled and rubbed Wendy's head. "Worried? Come on, I'm tougher than that," he teased fondly, before glancing up to look at the rest of the group. "Sting, Rogue, Laxus," he said with a grin "Good to see you're all safe."

Sting scoffed, crossing his arms, but there was humor in his eyes. "What do you take us for? We're stronger than any army," he boasted. Laxus rolled his eyes.

"We should go," Gajeel interrupted. "I have a bad feeling. We should get moving as quickly as possible."

Natsu nodded agreement. "The farther away we are from that place, the better," he agreed.

A crashing in the undergrowth drew the attention of the group, and a moment later Levy burst out of the shrubs, breathing hard, covered in scratches from her run. "You guys have to get out of here right now!" she yelled. "They're coming for you!"

Nobody waited for an invitation. Natsu immediately took off into a sprint, knowing the others would be close behind, and began his slow and painful transformation until he could beat his powerful dragon wings and take off into the sky. Before long he was soaring high above the treetops.

Natsu growling in annoyance as arrows bounced harmlessly off his scales. Humans were so stupid sometimes. He glanced around. The others had all taken flight successfully, and Levy was perched at the base of Gajeel's neck, much to his surprise. There was nothing to be done about it now.

Laxus hung back a bit, hovering, and he roared loudly, lightning crackling in the sky and causing an explosion on the forest floor below.

"Laxus!" Natsu bellowed. "You're only going to make them angry!"

"Relax, I just shot the ground in front of them. They'll have to walk all the way around the trench I just made," he replied, and Natsu could have sworn he saw the dragon scoff at him. Can a dragon scoff?

Natsu shook the thoughts from his head, turning to Wendy. "We should land soon. Wendy looks pretty tired," he said. The cloud-gray dragoness was flying almost lethargically, her head hanging. Turning into a dragon was particularly hard for her, seeing as she had a smaller magic capacity than others and had been using her healing magic a lot the last few days.

Gajeel nodded agreement and began his descent, landing in a clearing close by. He allowed Levy to climb off his back before he changed back into his human form, dusting off his jacket.

"What now?" Natsu questioned.

Sting sighed. "Now we walk."

* * *

><p>Sting wasn't kidding when he said walk. It took the group a day and a half to get to where they wanted; Cobra's house, which happened to be in the middle of nowhere. It didn't help that Natsu had to carry Wendy halfway there, as the poor girl was still exhausted from overusing her magic.<p>

The worst part about the hike, though, without argument, was watching Gajeel and Levy. The two of them were a couple of dorks, blatantly flirting with each other without realizing it. Natsu coughed, drawing Gajeel's attention, and pretended to throw up in the bushes. "If you two are going to flirt with each other, go somewhere I can't hear you," he said scornfully, scowling at the dark-haired man.

Gajeel scowled right back. "Maybe you should just go find yourself a woman!" he retorted.

"I have one already!" Natsu blurted out before he could even realize what he was saying. As soon as the words left his mouth, his face went ghostly white with shock. His woman? Since when was Lucy _his woman_?

"Oh my god! Lucy?!" Levy screamed in delight, forming the connection in her head. By now Natsu had turned from white to a red that rivaled Erza Scarlet's hair, and his face felt hot. "It's just like in my stories!" Levy continued, swooning. "Star-crossed lovers torn apart by cruel fate!" she sighed dramatically.

Natsu tried to search for words to deny what Levy was saying, but he couldn't. He was an honest guy, and he couldn't deny that what he felt for Lucy was something special. His woman. That sounded too possessive. Lucy didn't belong to anyone. He shook his head, hoisting Wendy up higher on his back. There would be time to sort out his thoughts later.

The group arrived at Cobra's house before sunset, where they met his mate, Kinana. Natsu frowned thoughtfully at the word 'mate', remembering how Igneel had taught him about dragons and their mates. For a moment, he had a vague impression; could Lucy be his mate, like Kinana was Cobra's? He immediately pushed away the thought, though.

They spent three days total at Cobra's house, planning a way to overthrow the King. It had been unanimously decided that they would no longer tolerate the King's rule over them, and so they stayed up, late into the night, planning and perfecting their plan.

"You're leaving today, right?" Levy asked the morning of the fourth day.

Natsu nodded. "As soon as we're ready to go, we're going to pick up and leave," he replied. "We'll come back here when we finish, so don't worry about us, okay?" He smiled at her.

Levy frowned. "How can I not worry? It makes me nervous to think that my friends are going up against someone who wouldn't hesitate to kill them, and that I can't do anything about it," she pointed out, lowering her gaze.

Natsu grinned. "I wouldn't worry about us. We're dragons. We have dragon blood in our veins. And a dragon won't die unless it wants to," he said.

"Natsu! Come on!" Gajeel called, waving the pinkette towards the door. "The others are waiting for you."

"Coming!" Natsu replied, flashing Levy a quick smile before jogging out the door.

It took Gajeel an extra three minutes to leave the house. "Hypocrite," he muttered as the dark-haired dragon finally closed the door behind him. "What took you so long?"

Gajeel glared at Natsu. "Just tying up loose ends. Let's get going," he replied gruffly, pushing past the others to take the lead. Natsu rolled his eyes. He was such an attention hog sometimes.

Gajeel led the way up to the castle doors, where Happy was waiting for them. "Happy, take Salamander over the wall so he can let us in," he said.

"Aye sir!" Happy replied enthusiastically, saluting to Gajeel quickly before grasping the back of Natsu's vest and lifting him off the ground and over the wall.

Natsu dropped to the ground on the other side of the wall, observing the huge gates. He grabbed the huge wooden bar that kept the doors locked, pushing it up and grunting with the exertion. Even with his extra dragon's strength, it was tough to get the bar up to the point that he could swing the doors open. He wiped his forehead with a grin. "Let's go."

This time, Natsu led the way. He knew more of the castle than the others did solely from descriptions Lucy had given him, and he found it quite helpful knowing where the throne room was from the front doors. "This way," he hissed, waving for the others to follow him. So far, so good.

Natsu rounded a corner, not even pausing to look where he was going, and that was what caused the shattering of the original plan. "Oh, shit," he cursed as he came face-to-face with a soldier.

He didn't bother to stay and chat. He turned and high-tailed it out of there. "Wrong way, wrong way!" he shouted, shoving his friends in the other direction. A moment later the sirens began to blare, a sure sign that the army would be on their tail soon.

"Natsu! You got us caught?!" Laxus said as he turned and began to sprint down the hall after the pinkette. "You idiot! You can't even bother to look where you're going?"

"At least I tried!" Natsu snapped. He paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulder. Already soldiers were beginning to swarm into the hall. "You all go on!" he called, lighting both hands on fire. "I'll hold them off for you!"

Gajeel hesitated only a moment before he left, leaving Natsu to handle the guards. He let out a yell and lunged forward, diving right into the midst of them. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he bellowed, socking one of the guards straight in the face, hard.

The guard let out a pained cry and flew backwards, slamming into the one behind him and essentially creating a domino effect. Natsu vaulted over the toppling guards, sucking in a breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He cupped his hands around his mouth, spewing a pillar of bright fire at the group of men.

The soldiers were smarter than Natsu anticipated, and most managed to raise their shields before they were completely roasted by the fire raining down on them. As soon as he hit the ground, Natsu was swarmed by furious soldiers. He lashed out furiously, determined to help out his friends even if it meant taking a few bad hits.

It took a while, and a lot of his magic, but Natsu was finally able to dispatch the group of soldiers that attacked him. He spent a few moments reveling in the short peace before he took off again, knowing that there would be more fights before he could make it to the throne room. He decided to go the long way around, figuring he would meet up with the others later. He just hoped he would make it in time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Last chapter! Thank you all for supporting On The Inside and the sequel! I hope you enjoy it. Make sure to leave one last review, and check out my profile as well!**

**Sakura-Fiction: He will find them eventually! xD**

* * *

><p>Natsu made a wild dash down a side hall, praying to God that he wouldn't have to do much more fighting until he got to the throne room. He had already used enough of his magic, and he wanted to make sure he had some left over, just in case.<p>

Luck was on his side today, it seemed, because as Natsu rounded the corner, he spotted the doors to the throne room, wide open and unguarded. Natsu frowned; that was strange. It was like Jude was waiting for them. Or had something else happened? He had a feeling there was more to the story than he had anticipated, but he shook off the feeling, pausing by the doors to risk a peek inside.

Jude was definitely in there. Natsu could see him, sitting up in his throne as though he was God himself, and in front of him was Lucy. Natsu sucked in a breath, straining his ears to listen in on the conversation.

"Father, please! You have to stop this!" Lucy begged desperately. "You have more power than you ever dreamed of! Isn't that enough for you?"

Jude frowned at his daughter, narrowing his eyes. "You're still naive, Lucy," he said. "No one in this kingdom will be able to live peacefully with the knowledge that those monsters are free and roaming the country. If I let them go, there will be mobs and riots, uprisings. People will die, Lucy!"

"They're not monsters!" Lucy insisted, her hands flying expressively, as if she was having trouble controlling her muscles. "They're just people who happen to have been born in a different circumstance with different blood."

Natsu saw Jude's grip on the arms of his throne tighten, and his body tensed at the bad feeling he got from it. He knew the King was no one you talked to like that, and it was obvious he was less than happy. "You should know better than to speak to me like that," he said in a low, threatening voice. "You don't know anything about the world. Your mother poisoned your mind. If you would open your eyes-"

"My eyes are open, Father. They have been for a long time," Lucy interrupted, cutting her father off with a wave of her hand. Her hard expression softened a bit, her tense stance slackening just a little. "I've spoken with them, and I've seen their true nature. They're not evil, like everyone said. They're just… misunderstood." She paused, a small smile playing on her lips.

Jude narrowed his eyes further. "I know you've been speaking with that Dragneel boy behind my back," he said, a hint of menace in his voice. "You think I leave the prison unguarded? I have spies stationed in every shadow of that place. Just what is that monster to you?"

Lucy bit her lip, taken aback by her father's comments. It was true that she had guessed in advance that he knew something, but she had hoped he wouldn't notice until it was too late. She let out a breath, straightening her posture defensively. "He's my best friend. He's one of the only people I can talk to and not feel like I have some standard to uphold," she replied truthfully. "But he's not just that. He's more than that. I… I love him, Father."

Natsu's eyes widened, and he felt his heartbeat speed up. _Lucy… Why would you defend me?_ He wondered, tightening his grip on the door frame. He had known ever since his jailbreak that he had feelings for Lucy. He couldn't get her out of his mind, and he had missed her dearly, but he had never expected her to say those words, that she loved him too. Love was an almost foreign feeling to him. He loved the other half-breeds, sure, and he had love Igneel, too, before he died, but they were different from what he felt for Lucy.

To Lucy's family, he was a ferocious monster that would kill you if given the chance. _She should be afraid. She should tremble in fear of the monster you were told I was. You should despise me, want me dead. But instead you go against your entire family… All for me?_ He gritted his teeth. _Why, Lucy? Why would you do such a thing for me?_

Jude stood up then, glaring down at Lucy with unhidden malice. "Love? How could you ever love a monster like him? If you hadn't hindered him with your promises of his escape, I guarantee that he wouldn't hesitate to kill you!" He said, voice rising with every word.

"Natsu would never do that!" Lucy argued, balling her hands into fists. "He wouldn't kill anyone, even wretches like you who don't care about anyone but yourself!" She had her eyes shut tightly, pouring all of her pent-up frustration towards her father into her words.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. When she met her father's eyes again, they were burning with unbridled rage. "You dare to speak to me with such contempt!" He bellowed, raising his hand as if to strike his daughter. "I'll teach you what happens when a girl like you goes against her betters!"

That was what made Natsu snap. Gritting his teeth, he stepped into the room, fists alight. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her, or I'll roast you," he threatened, fixing Jude with a hateful glare.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, taking a few steps away from Jude. "What are you doing here?"

"Tying up loose ends," Natsu replied, cracking his knuckles. He looked away from Jude for a moment to glance at Lucy, looking her over. "Did he hurt you?"

Lucy shook her head, blushing slightly. "N-No. I'm fine," she said softly.

Jude seemed to have lost a bit of his rage, and sunk back down into his chair again, glancing down at Natsu with an air of condescendence. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear. I've been waiting for you to come," he said, crossing his legs. "How have you been?"

Natsu scowled at the mocking tone Jude used, curling his hands into fists. "I rotted in a jail cell for eleven years," he deadpanned. "These last few days have been like I died and went to heaven."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed your minute of freedom," Jude said with a nod. "Unfortunately, you made a bad move in coming here. I'm especially angry with you for leading my own daughter and my heiress away from me with your lies. I'm afraid I can't let you be free any longer." His hand drifted down to his hip, fingering the edge of his shirt.

Natsu gritted his teeth, preparing for an attack, but before he could, there was a commotion outside, and Gajeel burst into the doors, slamming them shut and locking them with iron. "That ought to do it," he muttered absently to himself before turning to address the others in the room. His eyebrows rose at the scene. "Salamander?" he said. "How'd you beat me here?"

"Beats me, Metal Face," Natsu replied, keeping his gaze fixed on Jude.

Jude gazed down at Gajeel comically. "I see. You're the one they call 'Black Iron,' if I'm not mistaken? I have quite a few words to say to you."

"Bastard," Natsu growled, glaring hatefully at the King. "What kind of sick, horrible man kills a seven-year-old's only parent in front of their eyes, then locks them in a dark jail cell for eleven years, all for his personal gain? What kind of man does that?!" He yelled. He took a step forward, but he paused when Jude pulled an object from inside of his robe.

It was a gun, a hand pistol, and well made by the looks of it. He brandished it, eyes narrowed, pointing the barrel at Natsu. "Take another step, and I'll shoot you," he spat.

"Stop this, Father!" Lucy cried, reaching to take the gun from her father, but one look from Jude made her freeze in her tracks, his icy cold eyes making her shiver with their intensity.

"Bastard!" Natsu yelled once more, but before he could take three steps, Jude pulled the trigger. Natsu's eyes widened, and he jerked to the side in hopes of escaping the bullet. He let out a gasp of pain as the bullet struck him in the side, just below his heart, and Lucy let out a horrible scream as it did. Pain flared up from the wound, so excruciating that it numbed the nerves in his legs, and he collapsed onto his knees, keeling forward and clutching the wound with one hand. His free hand propped up his upper body, and he gritted his teeth against the indescribable agony he now felt.

Jude lowered the gun with a frown. "You have quick reflexes, boy. If you hadn't moved when you did, you'd be dead. Consider yourself lucky," he said, with a voice that lacked any sympathy or admiration to the inhuman act of literally dodging a bullet.

"Salamander!" Gajeel exclaimed in concern, but before he could say anything else, the doors to the throne room burst open, revealing a very tired-looking Erza, with Levy and Jet in tow. Outside of the door was a heap of unconscious soldiers.

Jude let out a laugh, throwing his head back. "Would you look at this! All of my favorite people in one place! Two despicable half-breeds, two traitorous princesses and two rebellious knights. It must be my lucky day!" He laughed, grinning wickedly.

"Please stop this," Lucy sobbed, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't stand it, watching the people she loved hurt by her own father.

"Quiet, you insolent girl! I am your father and your King, and I will not tolerate backtalk from you!"

Natsu grunted, drawing Lucy's attention, and pushed himself up the wall until he was standing, leaning heavily against it. "Don't speak to Lucy like that," he growled, sweat beading on his forehead. His hand was covered in blood from the bullet wound in his side, but he refused to step down.

Jude pointed the gun at Natsu, scowling. "Say another word and I'll put a bullet through your head," he threatened. "You should be thankful for that inhuman speed of yours. I won't let you dodge a second time."

Natsu grinned at the miniscule victory he had salvaged, but before he could say anything else, Erza stepped in front of him, her sword raised defensively. "Enough of that," she said sternly. "You know why we're here, right?"

Jude scowled, as if Erza had said something incredibly stupid. "Of course I do," he snapped, lowering the gun hesitantly. "I knew all along that my daughter and niece would betray me. Layla was too good at misguiding them. As for the half-breeds, there was only so long I could keep them safely contained. I knew that they would eventually rise against me. As for you, Titania, I had my doubts about you. You were too merciful, no matter what we put you through."

Erza clenched her teeth, her grip on her sword tightening, and Natsu saw with shock that her hands were shaking, not from fear, but from rage. "I saw things under your care that no child should have seen," she managed, voice wavering. "Because of you, I can hardly tell the difference between right and wrong anymore." Her voice rose steadily, her anger reaching a climax. "I hated you! You killed my friends in front of my eyes! You were responsible for the death of my closest friend! And for that I'll kill you!" She lunged forward suddenly, raising her sword above her head.

Jude had obviously not been expecting this. Wide-eyed, he grappled for something, anything, that could stop the raging knight, and in his search his hand curled around Lucy's forearm. He yanked the girl against him, standing up, and pressed the barrel of his gun against her temple. "Stop!" He roared.

Erza halted mid-strike, a look of pure hatred on her face, but there was nothing she could do when he had Lucy like that. The blonde let out a fearful gasp, shivers wracking her body, and swallowed down the lump in her throat. "You…"

"Take another step and she dies," Jude announced, cocking the pistol with one hand while the other held Lucy's arms tightly behind her, limiting her movement.

For a moment, Natsu's heart stopped. "Lucy!" He yelled, out of fear for her life, but when he made a move to push off the wall and come to her aid, searing pain shot through his stomach and down his legs, and he collapsed onto the floor with a pained grunt. He dug his hands into the ground, feeling the burning sensation of tears behind his eyes. "Damn it… damn it!" he cursed. _Lucy, I have to save her! I can't feel my legs… what do I do?_ he thought desperately, wracking his brain for any possible solution. He lost Igneel, but he couldn't lose Lucy too. She was too important.

"Let the princess go," Erza reasoned, lowering her sword in defeat, "and we'll work out a compromise. Are we in agreement?"

Jude held Erza's gaze for a moment. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "If that's what it takes." He released his grip on Lucy and shoved her forward, away from his grasp.

Erza immediately pushed Lucy behind her protectively. "Go take care of Natsu," she murmured. "I'll handle this. It will be over soon."

Lucy nodded shakily and turned to face Natsu. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the poor condition he was in, and she resisted the urge to break down and cry, making her way over to him. She fell to her knees at his side, helping him to sit up. "I'm sorry," she whispered, tears pouring down her cheeks as she wiped the blood from his face. "I'm so, so sorry. This is all my fault."

Natsu reached up with a shaky hand and cupped Lucy's cheek, offering her the biggest grin he could muster as he brushed away her tears with his thumb. "It's not your fault," he replied hoarsely. He took her hand in his free one, giving it a squeeze. "I'm a dragon, after all. I'll survive."

Lucy cradles Natsu's head against her shoulder, another round of sobs shaking her body. She had a smile on her face, though, as she buried it into Natsu's hair. "Yeah. Everything's going to be fine," she murmured.

Natsu shifted slightly, wincing as his wound throbbed painfully. He pressed his hand against it once more, willing the bleeding to stop. "Damn… so much for super dragon strength," he muttered balefully.

Lucy covered his hand with hers, seemingly not minding the blood that was now staining her skin and clothing, and frowned in concern. "I can't believe my father would do something like this," she whispered.

The sound of a pained cry drew Lucy and Natsu out of their reunion, and Lucy's eyes widened when she saw what had taken place. Erza was leaning over the table beside Jude's throne, her dagger pinning his hand to the wood beneath. "Gajeel, restrain him," she ordered, taking Jude forcefully by the arm before yanking the dagger from its spot, eliciting another cry from Jude.

"With pleasure," Gajeel said with a grin, fashioning a pair of handcuffs from iron and cuffing Jude's hands together.

Erza turned to address the people in the room. "I'm going to go settle things with the government," she announced. "You all should go find your friends and get them medical help if needed."

Lucy stood up, helping Natsu to his feet. The pinkette's eyes were drooping, and his breathing was erratic. "Lucy… I'm sorry…" he whispered, and his head rolled forward. Lucy yelped at the sudden weight as he slipped into unconsciousness, and she sucked in a frightened breath. She touched his neck, and let out a breath of relief when she felt his heartbeat. "I'm going to find Wendy," she announced, draping Natsu's arms over her shoulders so that she could essentially drag him down the hall. She prayed the bluenette was alright; right now she was the only one Lucy knew who could help Natsu quickly.

It took a while, but she finally found Wendy, accompanied by Sting and Rogue, resting in the hallwa surrounded by fallen soldiers. All three of them looked exhausted, but they seemed to wake up when they spotted Natsu and saw Lucy's desperate expression.

Wendy clapped a hand over her mouth. "Natsu!" She gasped, running up to meet Lucy and helping her to lay Natsu on the floor. She ran her hand over the wound gingerly. "What happened?"

"Jude shot him," Lucy replied bitterly. "It's a bad wound. Can you heal him? At least enough so that he'll survive?"

Wendy bit her lip. "I'll do everything I can," she promised. "But I have to be careful not to completely deplete my magic." She let both of her hands hover over Natsu's side, her magic glowing around her hands. As she did so, the bleeding began to slow, and the wound even began to stitch itself shut. Wendy's hands quivered, and with a gasp the magic dissipated. Wendy held her head for a moment before she drew herself up once more. "That's all I can do for now. I'll need a few days rest before I can use my magic again," she murmured weakly.

"You did great, Wens," Sting assured, helping the bluenette up. He lifted her onto his back. "You go ahead and rest up. We've got it covered."

"I'll take him," Rogue offered, nodding to Natsu. Lucy nodded agreement, and Rogue, slowly and carefully, lifted Natsu up so that he could lay across his back, careful to avoid touching his injury. "We'll take him down to the infirmary. There's more medicine there."

Lucy trailed after Sting and Rogue, one hand over her heart. _Please be okay,_ she prayed.

Natsu groaned, his vision swimming. _Where am I?_ he wondered. He cracked open both eyelids a bit, but his vision was so out of focus he couldn't tell what anything was. Squinting, he focused on trying to improve his vision, to the point that it made his head throb. "Ooh, my head," he groaned.

There was a gasp from beside him, and someone took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Natsu, can you hear me?" The voice was unmistakable.

"Lucy," Natsu murmured, his vision beginning to clear. "What's… what's going on? Where am I?"

"In the castle's infirmary," Lucy replied, smiling, and natsu noticed that there were tears in her eyes. "Wendy has been taking care of you."

Natsu pulled his hand from Lucy's grasp, moving it upward to brush his fingers against her cheek. "Why are you crying, you weirdo?" he asked with a soft grin.

Lucy huffed, but it was hard to frown when she felt so happy. "Because I was worried about you, you idiot," she replied, reaching up to cover his hand with hers. "It's been almost a whole day since you fell asleep. Wendy's been doing everything she can to help you."

Natsu nodded, reaching down with his free hand to brush it against the bandages covering his abdomen. "It's already begun to heal," he assured. "Wendy's been doing a good job. I should be better within a week or so." He paused, glancing up at Lucy. "Help me up?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.

Lucy nodded and took his hand, bringing the other around to support his shoulders. Natsu grunted, wincing in pain as she pulled him into a sitting position. He leaned his head back against the pillows, letting out a sigh. "Thanks. It feels good to move," he said.

"Wendy said to have you use these when you woke up," Lucy said, pulling a pair of crutches from beside the bed. "I tried to persuade her that you needed more time to heal, but she insisted. She said it was part of the healing process."

Natsu nodded, taking one of the crutches and positioning it under his arm. "If I don't start moving around, I'll lose muscle," he said, using the crutch to push himself to his feet. His legs were actually supporting his pretty well, all things considered, though his side still ached horribly and he was finding it hard to balance. He took the other crutch and slid it into place, sighing. That made things much easier.

"Shall we take a walk around the courtyard?" Lucy suggested with a glitter in her eyes.

Natsu's condition dramatically improved over the following few days, and he graduated from two crutches to one and finally to his own power. Lucy spent all of her free time visiting with him and walking with him when Wendy wasn't available, but with her duties as the new Queen to think about, she didn't have much time to spare anyway.

"You should really take it easier," Lucy scolded as she laid in one of the bigger cots in the infirmary, Natsu beside her.

"It was your idea to go up the stairs," Natsu pointed out. "I may be healing faster than most, but I'm still half human. Keep that in mind." He grinned jokingly at her, rolling onto his side and propping his head up on his hand to see her better. "It helps to have you cheering me on, though." He smiled, but his smile faded quickly, replaced by an uneasy expression. "Hey, Luce, I've been meaning to ask you about something."

Lucy blinked at Natsu, frowning. "What?" She asked. "You can ask me anything, you know."

Natsu swallowed, suddenly feeling very nervous. He sat up, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, it was back when you were talking with your dad, before I came in. I heard some of the things you were talking about, and, well, you said that… you loved me. Is that… Is that true?" he asked, tilting his head to meet Lucy's gaze.

The blonde had gone pink, her eyes wide, and Natsu inwardly cursed himself for bringing up such a subject. "Never mind, it was a stupid thing to ask," he muttered.

"No," Lucy said, sitting up and touching Natsu's shoulder gently. "It's not stupid. You just… surprised me." She paused, looking down, and her blush deepened. "I meant every word that I said to my father. All of it," she admitted.

"Then I love you, too."

Lucy's head snapped up at the sudden confession, her deep brown eyes meeting Natsu's charcoal-colored ones. He smiled down at her. "Y-You do?"

Natsu frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. "Luce, do you think I would lie to you? Because that would be cruel," he said. "Yes, I do. I… I love you, Lucy."

Lucy's heart was pounding in her chest, but she couldn't move her eyes away from Natsu's. She leaned forward a bit, and Natsu reached up, touching his palm to her cheek lightly and drawing her chin up. "Are you sure about that?" she whispered breathlessly.

Natsu leaned down so that his breath tickled Lucy's nose. "More sure than anything in my life," he replied. For a moment, the two of them sat in silence, and then Natsu dipped his head down and pressed his lips against hers.

Lucy sank into the kiss eagerly, her hand cupping the space between Natsu's neck and shoulder. They stayed like that for a long, blissful moment, and then Natsu pulled away, his hand tracing the line of her jaw before it fell into his lap. "I love you, too," she murmured.

"Thank goodness. I've been wanting to get that off my chest," Natsu joked, sliding back down to lay on his side.

Lucy giggled and did the same, but she laid much closer to him now, close enough to touch him without any effort. "Were you afraid of me, Mr. Fire-Breathing Dragon?" she teased.

"Afraid of you? No," Natsu chuckled. "Afraid of telling you? Yes, I was pretty nervous." He reached out and pulled Lucy against him, wrapping an arm around her waist. Lucy squeaked at the sudden proximity, but soon melted into the embrace, resting her forehead against Natsu's collarbone.

Natsu pressed his nose into Lucy's hair, inhaling her scent, like lavender and cherry blossom. He immediately felt relaxed by it, and he hummed contentedly, twisting a strand of her hair between his fingers. She was beautiful, and courageous, and smart, and just all around perfect, at least to him. "Marry me, Luce?" he murmured into her hair.

Lucy blushed at the comment, smacking his chest softly. "Enough of your jokes," she replied.

"It's not a joke." Natsu drew back enough to look Lucy in the eyes. "I want you to marry me, Lucy. I'm serious about this."

Lucy flushed a deep shade of red. "Y-You really want me to m-marry you?" she stuttered. "I-I mean, it's so… sudden…"

Natsu touched Lucy's cheek lightly, moving her head so she would look him in the eyes. "You love me, right?" he said.

Lucy swallowed, nodding nervously.

"I don't know what it is, but I want to be with you. Forever. Do you feel the same way?"

Lucy hesitated only a moment before she, too, nodded, a faint smile on her face. "Yeah, I feel the same way," she whispered.

"Then marry me," Natsu urged, tugging Lucy against him once more. "You'll be happy with me, I promise."

Lucy's eyes twinkled in amusement at the sentence. "Don't you think you're being a little arrogant?" she point out, leaning her head up.

Natsu chuckled, leaning down to give her a peck on the lips. "Maybe, but you know it's true."


End file.
